Brining makes for a juicier bird, and the subtle flavors of the brine soak into the turkey. Kosher salt works well for the brine because it dissolves more easily than table salt. If you have time and refrigerator space, the brining procedure is worthwhile. If not, the turkey will still be quite good.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
To prepare brine, combine first 6 ingredients in a large stockpot, stirring until salt dissolves.
To prepare turkey, remove and reserve giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Add turkey to pot, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Bring cola and 1/2 cup syrup to a boil in a small saucepan; cook 1 minute.
Combine thyme, sage, seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove turkey from brine, discarding brine; pat dry. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub thyme mixture under loosened skin; sprinkle inside body cavity. Place 4 garlic cloves and onions in body cavity. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.
Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of a thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Pour cola mixture over turkey; cover with foil. Bake an additional 1 hour and 45 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Remove turkey from pan, reserving drippings for gravy. Place turkey on a platter. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Remove twine. Discard skin.
To prepare gravy, while turkey bakes, combine reserved giblet and neck and the broth in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Strain mixture through a colander into a bowl, discarding solids.
Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour pan drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top).
Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into broiler pan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Add broth mixture. Place broiler pan on stovetop over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Strain gravy through a sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
If you've never made this stuffing with chestnuts, give it a try. Here, their sweetness contrasts with the savory sausage. You can also use the fresh chestnuts, if you prefer.
Photo by: Photo: Karry Hosford
Preheat oven to 375°.
Arrange chopped chestnuts and bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine bread mixture, sausage mixture, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, tossing to combine. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
Nothing fancy here, just good, basic mashed potatoes that are great as is or topped with gravy. For extra flavor, sprinkle with chopped chives.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Place the potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain.
Combine the milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add potato; let stand 5 minutes or until butter melts.
Beat the potato mixture with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
Cider vinegar gives these carrots the flavor of an apple cider reduction, but in a fraction of the time. To get a head start, boil the carrots a day ahead. Refrigerate them in a zip-top plastic bag, then sauté just before serving.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Place carrot in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute or until tender. Drain.
Combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients except parsley in a large nonstick skillet over low heat; cook until butter melts, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; add carrots. Cook 3 minutes or until carrots are glazed and thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley; toss to combine.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
Roasting brings out the best in Brussels sprouts: It lightly caramelizes their edges but keeps them tender inside. Don't trim too much from the stem ends of the sprouts since they may fall apart. Country ham imparts saltiness to the dish; if it's unavailable in your market, substitute regular ham. Freeze leftover breadcrumbs for up to 6 months; use them to top macaroni and cheese casseroles.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Preheat oven to 425°.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs on a baking sheet; bake at 425° for 5 minutes or until golden. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Set aside 3 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs, reserving remaining breadcrumbs for another use.
Combine sprouts and next 5 ingredients (sprouts through garlic) in a 3-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until sprouts are tender and lightly browned on edges, stirring twice.
Combine 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over sprouts. Serve immediately.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
Toasted pecans add a pleasing crunch to this fruity condiment. If you make it a few days ahead, leave out the nuts until just before serving so they'll remain crunchy. Leftovers are great on a turkey sandwich with horseradish or cream cheese.
Photo by: Photo: Karry Hosford
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add sugars and cranberries. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick and berries pop, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Stir in pecans. Cover and chill.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
Adding potato to the dough creates light texture. Bake these rolls up to 1 month ahead. Cool completely, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and freeze. Thaw completely, and reheat (still wrapped in foil) at 375º for 12 minutes or until warm. Try using the leftover rolls to make miniature sandwiches with turkey and relish.
Photo by: Photo: Karry Hosford
Place potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a fork.
Cool reserved cooking liquid to 105° to 115°. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.
Lightly spoon 4 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine mashed potato, yeast mixture, 1 tablespoon sugar, 4 cups flour, butter, salt, and egg in a large bowl, stirring until well blended.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add up to 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half; divide each half into 12 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), shape portion into a 2-inch-long oval on a floured surface. Roll up tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Repeat procedure with remaining dough portions, placing 12 rolls on each of 2 baking sheets. Sift 2 tablespoons flour over rolls to lightly coat. Cover rolls and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes with 1 baking sheet on the bottom rack and 1 baking sheet on the second rack from the top. Rotate baking sheets; bake an additional 10 minutes or until rolls are browned on bottom, lightly browned on top, and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on wire racks.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
The unexpected addition of dates to this classic pie gives the filling more body and a smooth sweetness. Don't use packaged chopped dates, which are rolled in sugar. Instead, use moist and sticky whole dates. Coat your knife with cooking spray for easy chopping
Photo by: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Preheat oven to 325°.
To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour, water, and juice, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry.
Combine 3/4 cup flour, powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry; toss with a fork until mixture is moist. Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap that overlap; cover with two additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle; freeze 10 minutes.
Remove top 2 sheets of plastic wrap; let dough stand 1 minute or until pliable. Fit dough, plastic-wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan. Fold edges under; flute.
To prepare filling, sprinkle dates and pecans evenly over bottom of crust. Combine corn syrup and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
The oranges are optional, but they add a burst of freshness to the cake. If you make the cake a day ahead, garnish with orange wedges shortly before serving. You can also bake the cake in a Bundt pan, but reduce the oven temperature to 325º.
Photo by: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg substitute, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and pumpkin.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg), stirring well with a whisk. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture.
Spoon batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan; place on wire rack.
To prepare glaze, place powdered sugar and cream cheese in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Drizzle warm cake with glaze. Cool completely on wire rack. Garnish with orange sections, if desired.
Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2002
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